Saturday, May 2, 2009

Harlow Appeal Update

From yesterday's Times Leader "Court Briefs" column:

May 1
Court briefs


WILKES-BARRE – Convicted murderer Harlow Cuadra filed court papers Thursday through his attorney Paul Walker stating why he filed an appeal with the state Superior Court.

Cuadra, 27, of Virginia, was found guilty by a county jury in March of the murder of Bryan Kocis, 44, of Dallas Township, in January 2007.

Cuadra was sentenced to life in prison for his involvement in the death of his rival in the gay pornography industry.

His co-defendant and partner, Joseph Kerekes, 35, also of Virginia, pleaded guilty in December to murder charges and is also serving a life sentence.

In his court papers, Cuadra said he is appealing his conviction and sentence because the trial court, or judge, erred in denying a motion to suppress recorded statements and conversations at Crabcatcher’s Restaurant in La Hoya, Calif., in April 2007 and recorded statements and conversations at Black Beach, San Diego, Calif., in April 2007; evidence seized from Cuadra’s home during a search warrant execution, and evidence seized regarding Cuadra’s e-mail accounts. He claims the court should not have allowed “gruesome photographs” into evidence, which “served no purpose.”

According to court records, during dinner at the restaurant, Kerekes told an associate, Grant Roy, he couldn’t talk because he was worried Roy was wearing a wire.

The next day on April 28, Roy carried a remote car opener containing a recording device when the four men visited a nude beach near San Diego.

Evidence seized from the home included a log book, videotapes, digital cameras, camcorders, battery packs, luggage, receipts, firearms, ammunition, clothing and computers.

E-mails presented at Cuadra’s trial were traced back to Kerekes and Cuadra and it is unknown which “gruesome” photos Cuadra is specifically appealing. At trial, prosecutors showed the jury a number of photos taken at Kocis’ autopsy.
Update: "Instead of trying to overturn your conviction, sweet pea, maybe you should focus on being the best gutter bitch you can be!"

9 comments:

brynawel said...

His family is looking for an "appeals attorney". They are asking for donations.
And while they are at it, they accuse an unnamed person to have taken advantage of the "defense fund".

jim said...

"...they accuse an unnamed person to have taken advantage of the "defense fund"."

Really? That's interesting, and I can actually envision more than one culprit here, which makes it even more interesting...

Geoff Harvard said...

Renee.

What shall we do to put together a book of the month club for Harlow (or Sean Lockhart, for that matter) that will serve as his missed college education?

Oscar Wilde, serving two years for gross indecency in the 1890's, read Dante's Inferno in the original medieval Italian to come to grips with the horrors of prison. (He was already an accomplished classics scholar, and used a prose English translation and an Italian glossary.)

I volunteer to send him Allen Mandelbaum's Bantam verse translation, which is English/Italian side by side. A native Spanish speaker might be able to make sense at length of the medieval Italian.

A sensible course might be then to go in reverse and read in chronological order all the works referenced in Dante, and then go forward and read all those who reference him, such as Twain and Eliot. We've got sixty years or more of leisure to work with here.

Geoff Harvard said...

It would be useful now to be reminded of Harlow's prison address. I would hate for him to lose track of his Silence of the Chinchillas pen pals.

quickysrt said...

Yeah Jim, could you please post Harlow's addy and apt. # when you get it and have a chance please.

I should write him with my deepest thoughts on him, his trial, his mother and the others that shared their intimate feelings with me in Wilkes Barre, PA during that dramatic week.

jim said...

He's still at Camp Hill I think. Beyond that, I'm not sure what his current mailing addy would be.

Albert said...

HEY Guys! We could just ask Joseph. I am sure he would know the right address.

Jim, could you check on that? Maybe suggest to Joseph that this is strictly a fund raiser for Harlow's Commissary fund. We just need to know where to send the cash.

That should do it. Then we can all be pen pals together for at least one life time.

Geoff Harvard said...

I am informed that he is still at Camp Hill and will be transfered to his permanent digs in a couple of weeks.

jim said...

If this unknown Senator and/or other anonymous bigwigs were clients as Justin Hensley testified, I suspect neither Harlow nor Joe's will ever be wanting for canteen funds.

I'll be expanding on this thought later, in the Final Thoughts...